


Winn-ing? - Part 2

by Laniki



Series: The Winn and Sam Chronicles [3]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/M, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-01-23 19:49:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12515228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laniki/pseuds/Laniki
Summary: Winn and his wife Sam face their biggest challenge when Winn is arrested for murder. Can Sam and the other smart, strong women get him freed?Hopefully you've read For the Winn and Winn-ing! - Part 1.  If not, please stop and go and read both of those first so you'll know what the heck is going on!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I told you it wouldn't be long before you got the next part of the story!

_From Winn-ing! - Part 1:_

_“Your client is in deep shit. Winslow Schott, you are under arrest for the murder of Chester Dunholtz. You have the right to remain silent…”_

_As the detective reeled off the Miranda rights, Winn’s head was in a spin. This couldn’t be happening. He’d tried so hard to be different from his father. How could he be arrested for murder?_

_The uniformed officer put handcuffs on him._

_“Don’t worry, Winn.” Marni told him. “We’ll get you out on bail in the morning.”_

Part 2

Chapter 1

At their apartment, Sam was worried. Soon after the police took Winn for questioning, Kara and Alex had arrived.

“Maggie’s still at work.” Alex said. “But she’s going to let us know anything that she finds out.”

Kara immediately went to hug Sam. “Alex called me. This can’t be happening. There is no way Winn could kill anyone.”

“I know. But I’m scared anyway.” Sam said.

They sat with her and waited to hear from Maggie or Marni. When the call finally came, it wasn’t good news.

“He’s been arrested.” Marni said when Sam put the phone on speaker.

“No! How…why?”

“Other than circumstantial evidence, I’m not sure what they have. I’ll find out, but it won’t be tonight. There’ll be a bail hearing tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? But what happens tonight?”

“He has to stay in jail. Nothing we can do about that.”

“He can’t be in jail! He’ll hate that!”

“I know, sweetie, but there’s nothing we can do. I’ll text you the time for the hearing if you want to be there.”

“Of course I want to be there.”

“We all do.” Kara said.

“Okay, well, I need to get home and try to get a few hours sleep. You try to get some rest too.”

“Yeah, that’ll happen.” Sam said as she ended the call.

At eight am the next morning, Sam, Kara and Alex were waiting at the courthouse for Marni. She arrived, dressed in her lawyer suit and they entered. They went to the front row and waited for the judge to arrive.

Once he did, they had to wait until Winn’s case came up. The Assistant District Attorney stood there while various lawyers negotiated bail for their clients.

At last, the bailiff announced, “The people versus Winslow Schott, Junior.”

The guard brought him in dressed in an orange jumpsuit. Sam felt her stomach drop when she saw that.

The prosecutor began, “Mr. Schott is accused of killing Chester Dunholtz, a man he’d threatened previously in front of witnesses.”

Marni spoke. “Your honor, there is nothing but circumstantial evidence against my client. He had an argument with Mr. Dunholtz, he did not threaten him. Mr. Schott is an upstanding member of society with no previous criminal record who has assisted in this city’s welfare on numerous occasions.”

The judge looked at the evidence noted on the papers in front of him. “Looks like enough here to go to trial. Where are we on bail?”

The Assistant DA spoke again. “The people recommend no bail.”

“Your honor!” Marni was incensed. “What is the reason for that?”

“Mr. Schott is a flight risk.” The assistant DA said.

“He will be happy to surrender his passport, but he won’t leave National City. He has strong roots here, including a pregnant wife.”

“You honor,” the prosecutor said, “Mr. Schott has a connection to Supergirl. She could take him out of National City without the need of a passport.”

“Is Mr. Connor insinuating that Supergirl would break the law?”

“Yes, I am. She’s broken, or at least bent the law in the past when it served her agenda. Granted, it is usually for the greater good, however, if he’s her acquaintance, there is a chance she could use her powers for an illegal purpose.”

The judge addressed Marni. “Ms Gallo, your opponent has a point. When Supergirl is part of the equation, everything changes.”

“But your honor…”

“I’m sorry, bail is denied.”

Sam let out a little cry, then covered her mouth. Winn turned around and looked at her.

“The defendant will be held in the National City prison until the trial.”

“May I speak to my client before he’s taken there?” Marni asked.

“Yes. Guard, take him to a conference room, but don’t leave.”

The guard nodded and took Winn out.

Marni started to follow, but Sam grabbed her arm. “I want to talk to him too.”

Marni nodded. “Wait outside. I’ll come and get you.” She ran after Winn and the guard.

Sam left the courtroom with Kara and Alex.

Alex was angry. “I can’t believe they’d think that Supergirl would help Winn escape.”

Sam looked at Kara, who pulled them away from any people. With eyes down, she said, “The thing is, I think she would.”

“Kara…” Alex began.

“No, not now. But should he get convicted, she’d make sure he didn’t go to jail.”

“He’s not going to be convicted!” Sam said.

“I hope not. But I won’t see my best friend in prison. He’s going to be a dad! He needs to be with you and his child.”

Marni came out at that moment. “Come on, Sam, you only have a few minutes with him.

Sam followed her to the conference room. Winn was sitting at the table, but he rose when he saw her. She ran to him and enfolded him in her arms. He couldn’t put his arms around her because of the handcuffs, but he put his head on her shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, honey.” He said.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I went to see Dunholtz. If I hadn’t…”

“Nothing we can do about that now. We just have to get you freed.”

He pulled back and looked at her. “Supergirl will not be helping me escape. Make sure of that.”

“She might disagree.”

“I won’t go if she tries. She’s not breaking the law for me.”

“Understood.”

He looked at her and said, “You take care of yourself and our kid. That’s more important than worrying about me.”

“I can do both. I’m skilled that way.”

He smiled and kissed her, just as the guard said, “Time to go.”

As he left, Winn said to Marni, “Take care of her.”

“You know it, buddy.”

He turned and the guard led him away.

Marni and Sam left the room and met Kara and Alex outside.

“Is he okay?” Kara asked.

Sam nodded. “Yes—for now. Oh, and he wanted to be sure Supergirl understands that she is not to help him escape.”

Kara stared at her.

“He doesn’t want her doing anything illegal and he won’t go if she tries. Be sure to tell her that.”

Kara did not look happy, but she nodded.

“Let’s get you home.” Marni said to Sam. “You need to rest.”

“I won’t rest until my husband comes home.”


	2. Chapter 2

When she got back to their apartment, police were waiting there with a search warrant.

Marni read it carefully, but it was all in order. “They can search your apartment.”

“Wait, they can just go through all our stuff?”

“It’s signed by a judge. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

Sam looked upset, but Marni held her arm as the police officers began searching.

“What are they looking for?”

“First, the murder weapon.”

“We don’t have any weapons!”

“Does Winn use a weapon at work?”

“Sometimes, but he never brings any home.”

“They’ll probably execute a search warrant for his locker there as well. Oh, and they’ll take your computers.”

“What? They can’t!”

“Unfortunately, they can. And will.”

Sam looked miserable. She knew Winn would not like people looking through their computers. He had very good encryptions and security on them, but she bet the police had people who could break them.

It took over an hour for the search. It wasn’t that big an apartment, so she couldn’t figure out what they were looking for. They did take the computers, giving her a receipt for them. They went through all the kitchen cabinets, all the closets, all the drawers. They looked under the mattress.

Marni stayed with her while they were there. When they finally left, she told Sam, “They were looking for the gun.”

“Then why take the computers?”

“To see if there’s anything on them that will reinforce their case.”

“Marni, what are we going to do?”

“I’m not sure, but we’ll figure out something. Let’s get together at my place tonight with the others. Brad has to work and I’d rather not get a babysitter.”

That night, besides Sam and Marni, Kara, Alex and Maggie all gathered at Marni’s house.

Kara said, “Sam, we talked to J’onn. He said to tell Winn that his job is waiting for him once this gets cleared up.”

“That’s good to know. He’ll be happy to hear that at least.”

“Also, he’ll be glad to testify if you need him. As a character witness. Supergirl will too.”

Marni looked at her and said, “I’m not sure if Supergirl can help him. I don’t think the DA is a fan of hers.”

Kara did not look happy at that.

“We’re going to figure this out and find a way to help him.”

Sam was left with the task of telling Winn’s mother about his arrest. Miriam was shocked and saddened.

“This can’t be happening! Winn could never do that.” She cried.

“I know.” Sam said. “And we’re going to figure out how to get him out, but in the meantime, he’s in that jail.” Her voice caught on those words.

“You have to take care of yourself. You and that baby are the most important things in the world to my son.”

“Don’t worry, I know that and I will. But I will also get my husband out of jail, one way or the other.’

Miriam was silent for a few moments. “I hate that Winn is involved in this, but I am not sad that that man is dead. Chester Dunholtz was an awful human being. Even before he stole my husband’s designs, he treated him and all the other workers terribly. Winn’s father would not have gone off the deep end as he did if it wasn’t for Dinholtz.”

“Maybe, maybe not. But it’s certain that you and Winn wouldn’t have spent all those years apart if it wasn’t for him.”

“May God forgive me, but I’m glad he’s dead!”

“Well, even though he probably deserved it, if he wasn’t dead, Winn wouldn’t be in jail.”

“That’s true.” Miriam sighed. “What do you need me to do? How can I help you?”

“Right now, not too much. Just send positive thoughts that we can get him freed.”

“Last week, Winn told me that you two were looking for a larger apartment or even a house.”

“Well, that’s on hold for now. They’re holding Winn’s job, and he’ll use whatever vacation he has, but once that runs out, he won’t be making any money. I’ve got to hold on to every penny right now.”

“Of course! I have a little saved if you need help…”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. But thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one is short. I had to break here, but the next one will be longer.


	3. Chapter 3

Marni got a message from the DA that he wanted to meet with Winn and her. She went to the jail and waited with Winn for the DA.

“What does he want?” Winn asked her.

“He probably wants to discuss a deal.” She told him.  He looked confused. “A plea bargain.” she explained. “Get you to confess.”

“I’m not guilty, why would I consider a deal?”

“They think you are, but there’s not enough to get a conviction, so if they get you to confess in exchange for a lesser sentence, they win. And save the city the expense of a trial.”

The DA did want to discuss a plea bargain. First he offered him a ten year sentence for a confession.

Marni was about to say no when Winn beat her to it.

“I’m not guilty. I won’t confess to something I didn’t do.”

The DA hesitated, then said, “Are you sure you’re not guilty, Mr. Schott?”

“Of course I’m not guilty!”

“Your father had mental problems that caused him to murder.”

“I’m not my father.”

“And your mother spent some time in a mental hospital.”

“She didn’t belong there. She wasn’t sick. Dunholtz kept her there.”

“Mr. Schott, I can see that you are a moral and responsible person. Have you considered the possibility that you inherited your father’s insanity?”

“No, because I didn’t.”

“Hear me out. You were upset when you heard what Dunholtz did to you and your mother. You even went to see him. That didn’t go well. You were angry, frustrated, unable to deal with it. You had a psychotic moment and blacked out. You killed him and didn’t even remember it.”

“No.”

“I’m just offering this as a possibility. If you plead insanity, I can get you into a mental facility for most of your sentence. It might be even less than ten years. And you would get the psychological care that you need.”

Winn didn’t say anything, so Marni did. “Thank you, Mr. Connors, for your offer. I doubt we’ll be accepting it.”

Connors spoke to Winn. “Think about it, Mr. Schott. Do you want to expose your wife and unborn child to an insane person?”

As soon as he left, Marni said, “He’s trying to shake you, Winn. Don’t listen to him. You’re not crazy.”

“What if I am?”

“Come on, my best friend wouldn’t fall in love with a crazy person.”

He smiled. “Marni, I know I didn’t kill him, but the police and other people think I did.”

“When you’re acquitted…”

“They’ll still think I did it, but I got off. I’ll be National City’s OJ.”

“Not quite, but I know what you mean. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. And don’t think about what the DA said. He’s grasping at straws.”

But Winn couldn’t help but think about it. And wonder.

The next time that Sam visited, he was very quiet.

“Is something wrong?” she asked him.

“You don’t have to do this.” He told her.

“Do what?”

“Visit me in jail.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“I just don’t want you to get upset.”

“I’m already upset that you’re in here when you don’t belong.”

He was silent as he looked at his hands.

“What?” she asked.

“Maybe I do belong in here.” He said quietly.

“What are you talking about?”

“The DA offered me a deal.”

“No deal! You’re not guilty!”

“Listen,” he said, “Maybe I have psychological problems like my dad. Maybe I blacked out and I don’t remember.”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Maybe. But what if it’s not? If I didn’t realize I was doing it…”

“Winn—“

“If I’m capable of that, I should be locked up. And I definitely can’t be with you or the baby. If there’s even a chance that I could hurt you…”

“There isn’t.”

“But what if there is?”

“There isn’t.”

“Sam, what if there is? No, stop being supportive and think about it. What if there is a chance?”

She closed her eyes for a few moments, then opened them and said, “Okay, I thought about it. I can’t see you killing anyone. You’re not psychotic, you’re not even a little crazy. You’re kind and sweet and not a killer.”

He stared at her, still unsure.

“Honey, I’m not stupid. You know that I love you, but I wouldn’t put myself or our child in danger.”

He nodded, but she could see the doubt still in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Winn! Do you feel as sorry for him as I do? I know, I know, I'm the one who put him in this predicament, but I still feel for him!


	4. Chapter 4

That night, when she gathered with her friends, she said, “We have to find out who did this. He’s starting to doubt himself.” Then she told them what Winn had said to her.

“He’s not crazy!” Kara said. “And he’s definitely not anything like his father.”

“I saw the look on his face when the DA offered an insanity defense. He did consider it, but I said no and wouldn’t let him talk.” Marni told them.

“We’ve got to figure out a way to help him.” Alex said.

“We need to get more information.” Kara said. “I have an idea.”

The next day, she went to the police station as Kara Danvers, Catco reporter, doing an article on the Dunholtz murder. She stood outside Detective Franklin’s office and used her super hearing and x-ray vision to get some information.

At Marni’s that night, she told the other women, “They have an anonymous letter that told them what Dunholtz did to Winn and his mom.”

“We need to see that letter.” Marni said.

“Can’t you request it as exposition?” Alex asked.

“Not if I don’t know it exists. I have a feeling the DA doesn’t know it either. I haven’t been working here that long, but my colleagues told me Connors is pretty fair. If he had that letter, he’d show it to me.”

“I’m on it.” Maggie said. “I’ll get it.”

“How?” Sam asked her.

“His assistant, Officer Monroe, is young and naïve. And also flustered by lady cops. I think he has mommy issues.’

The next day, Maggie waited until Detective Franklin left for the day and saw that Officer Monroe was alone finishing up paperwork.

“Oh, hi, Officer Monroe.  It’s Tim, isn’t it?”

“Y-yes.” He stuttered.

“I don’t know if you remember me? We met a few months ago on a case. I’m Detective Sawyer, Maggie actually.”

“S-sure.”

“Is Detective Franklin here? I’m on an errand from the DA.”

“No, he’s gone for the day.”

“Damn, I told him I’d do it today. Guess I’m getting my ass chewed out.”

“I’m his assistant, is there something I can help with?”

“I hate to put you to any trouble, Tim.”

“It’s no trouble. What can I do?”

“I need the file on the Dunholtz murder. The DA is looking for some information and he’s not sure if he left it behind when he was copying everything.”

“I can get you that. No problem!”

“Really? Oh, Tim, I’d be so happy.” She smiled at him.

He smiled back and went into the office and grabbed the file. “What do you need?”

“I have a list. If I just take a look, I can find what he needs and make a copy for him.”

“Sure. Copy machine’s right over there.” He pointed to the copier in the corner.

“Thanks! I’ll give this right back to you.”

She walked casually to the copier and started going through the file. She found the letter almost immediately, but didn’t want to act too anxious. She made copies of several papers, including the letter, then arranged everything back in the folder and returned it to Officer Monroe.

“Thank you so much! You really saved me.”

“No problem.”

She started to walk away, then turned and gave him a little wave. He smiled at her.

Too bad buddy, she thought, I don’t play for that team. And if I did, I don’t fall for stupid.

She presented a copy of the letter and the envelope to Marni that evening.

The lawyer read it and passed it to the others. “This is great! Thanks, Maggie.”

As Sam read it, she got a weird felling. “This is almost just like the letter that Winn got telling him what Dunholtz did to his family.”

“Probably sent by the same person.” Maggie said.

Kara noticed. “Look at the postmark on the envelope. The police received it the day after the murder.”

“That means whoever sent it knew Dunholtz would be murdered on Sunday.” Marni said grimly.

“Do you think the murderer sent it?” Sam asked.

“Probably.”

“This person framed Winn for it.” Kara cried.

Sam wondered. “Who would hate Winn that much?”

“Usually a rival or an ex.”

“He doesn’t really have a rival at the DEO. No one was doing what he does when he started. And everyone else seems to like him.” Alex told them.

“Still, I’ll ask J’onn if anyone could feel animosity toward him.” Kara said.

“And his exes?” Marni asked.

Kara thought about that. “Well, one is in prison.”

“Still?”

“I believe so, but that’s easy to check. But I don’t think Siobbhan had any ill will towards Winn. He was nice to her even after she became a villain.”

“Okay, Lyra.”

“No, she’s more of an ‘at-the-moment’ kind of person. She would have gone after him right away, not waited months to do something. And he was good to her too, forgiving her after she almost had him arrested. It was only when she got violent and broke up with him that he gave up on her.”

“Let’s face it, he’s a really nice guy. There isn’t anyone who dislikes him.” Maggie said.

Sam had been silent, thinking. “Right, no one was trying to get at him. But what if it was against me?”

“Everyone likes you too.” Marni said.

“Not everyone. Not someone I got fired.”

They were all silent as they thought about that person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. It's been a busy week. If you haven't already guessed who framed him, you either didn't read Winn-inng! Part 1 or, well, I don't know why. You'll get the next chapter pretty quickly, so no worries.


	5. Chapter 5

_A few months prior…_

They say that revenge is a dish best served cold. At least that was what she’d always heard. But Jillian May was not a patient woman. She wanted revenge against Samantha Nolan and she wanted it now. She’d had a cushy spot at the DEO and Sam had ruined it. Well, also Paul and his inability to keep it in his pants, but she’d take care of him easily.

Sam was a little harder. Even though she’d been a slacker at the DEO, Jillian did have computer skills. If she didn’t, she would never have gotten the job. And her research on Sam showed that she was squeaky clean. Her father had been a gambler, but he was dead and there was nothing else she could find.

Jillian knew that the best way to hurt someone wasn’t attacking them, but those they loved. However, her best friend was boring too, despite being a lawyer.

And then there was Winn Schott. Sam’s new husband had an interesting background, one that Jillian needed to explore more deeply.

So everyone knew that his father was a murderer. After Senior’s arrest, Junior had been sent to foster homes. Wait, where was his mother?

A little more research showed she’d been sent to a mental institution for two years. Did Sweet Sam realize that her hubby had two crazy parents? Didn’t bode well.

She found, as Sam had, that Miriam Schott had tried to gain custody of her son through the years. Still nothing that she could use.

Jillian was frustrated. She couldn’t get her revenge if she didn’t find anything. She went back and read the reports again, making notes of any names she came across that might be helpful.

As she did, she noticed a name that kept coming up. A lawyer, William Singer. He was present at every hearing for custody that Mrs. Schott attended. He also submitted briefs and letters recommending she not obtain custody of her son.

Who was this guy and why did he care?

She did a search on him. He was a private practice attorney and his client list was impressive. The movers and shakers of National City.

Wait, what was this? One of his clients was Chester Dunholtz. She looked back at her notes. Yes, there he was. The guy that Schott Senior was intending to kill when he’d offed those other people. Also the guy his son almost attempted to kill a few years ago. Though that was swept away because Daddy had forced him and Supergirl had saved the day.

So why was Dunholtz’s lawyer interested in Schott’s life?

She had to dig deeper. She had the skills. The irony was that if she’d chosen to do her job, she would have been good at it.

Hacking into the lawyer’s files was a challenge that took her some time. She almost gave up, but kept her mind on the goal – destroying Samantha Nolan.

Eventually she made it into his system. Finding the files was harder. All of them were more than ten years old and had been archived.

When she finally found them, she saw that every time Singer intervened in the case of the Schott family, he billed Dunholtz for ‘exceptional services’ at a hefty fee. It was always paid promptly.

Again, why?

She started researching Dunhoiltz. His toy company was very successful, but it had its share of complaints. Schott Senior’s stated reason for his attack was that his boss had stolen his toy designs. Apparently, he wasn’t the only employee Dunholtz had done this to, although no one else’s response had been as extreme.

Others had filed complaints, a few had sued him. The complaints and lawsuits had been handled by lawyer Singer. Some had been paid off, based on the bills in Singer’s files. If Schott hadn’t chosen murder, he’d be retired now with a nice nest egg.

Dunholtz was a class A jerk. Besides stealing designs, he set out to destroy his competitors or anyone that pissed him off.

She could bet that Schott killing his assistant who’d worked for him for ten years probably pissed him off.

So Dunholtz set out to destroy the Schott family.

She wondered if Junior knew that? And what would he do if he did know?

Or what would people think he did?

Dunholtz was the target, obviously. But he was rich and powerful. What could Schott (Jillian) do to hurt him that would get Schott in trouble?

She considered that for several days and finally came to one conclusion: Dunholtz had to die.

She didn’t have a problem with that. The guy was an asshole. Everyone who knew him would probably be happy about that.

No, the only thing was that she didn’t think she could do it herself. Also, if it went wrong, she had to be sure she didn’t actually do the deed.

So in addition to framing Junior for it, she had to convince someone else to actually kill Dunholtz.

She mentally went through her security clients. They came to her because their businesses were not always exactly legal. But which one did she have enough dirt on to get to commit murder?

Finally she decided on Steven West, a ‘businessman’ that she worked with. She could destroy his operation with one phone call. He also had a hired assassin in his employ. She just needed him to use the assasin.

She paid him a visit and told him what she needed.

“I’ve got nothing against Dunholtz, why should I kill him?” West asked.

“Because you have nothing against him, no one will connect you to him. And because I could destroy you if I so choose and you know it. Besides, one of your men can slip in and out without being noticed. And someone else will be set up for this anyway.”

He swore under his breath, then said, “Okay, when?”

“I’ll let you know.”

“Okay, other than your silence, what else am I getting out of this?”

She thought, then said, “Six months of my services.”

“Deal.”

The next thing she did was set up software on the files about the Schott family so that if anyone accessed them, she’d know.

She also spent time checking out Sam and Winn’s routines. Sam went to brunch every Sunday with her girlfriends. How sweet. Jillian wanted to gag.

She decided the best way to do this was the old-fashioned way. She got a piece of plain paper and an envelope and typed the following letter:

_Chester Dunholtz destroyed your family. Why was his lawyer, William Singer, at all of your custody hearings? Why was he in contact with the hospital your mother was in? Why was he in contact with Social Services while you were in foster care? Why did Dunholtz pay him after each of those?_

She didn’t sign it and typed the envelope as well, addressing it to Schott. She mailed it at the main National City post office. Then she waited.

It took over a week before the files were accessed. It was him. He had security on his computer, but even though she couldn’t hack him, she could find his trace.

She waited a little longer, and while monitoring Dunholtz and Singer, found that Schott had accosted Dunholtz using the information Jillian had sent him. This was better than she could have hoped.

She composed a letter for the police and mailed it on Saturday afternoon.

She watched Sam and Winn’s apartment building and when she saw Sam leave for brunch, she sent a text to West: Go.

Then she sat back and watched Samantha Nolan’s life fall apart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who guessed correctly? Thanks to everyone reading and leaving kudos! I'd love to hear from you. I love discussing with readers what you liked and didn't like.  
> _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
> 
> To my fellow writers, how do you come up with names for characters? For minor characters, it's totally random for me. Examples: William Singer - I was listening to music while I wrote it and a Billy Joel song was playing, so William. And Billy Joel is a singer. Steven West - Listening to the West Side Story cast recording, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Officer Franklin - I was on the train coming home from work and was crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge.


	6. Chapter 6

The trial was coming up in two weeks and Marni was discussing what they would be doing, when he asked her, “Do you think I’m guilty?”

“No. Now when…”

“Seriously, I know you’re my lawyer and you have to defend me no matter what, but do you believe I’m innocent or guilty?”

“Innocent. And that’s what I’m telling the jury.”

“No, Marni, please. I’m not talking about the trial. I know you’ll defend me either way. I know it’s your job and I know you’re a good lawyer. I want to know what you, Marni, my wife’s best friend thinks. And I want your honesty.”

“Okay, honestly. As your lawyer, I have to defend you whether you’re guilty or innocent. I have to try to get you out of being convicted. But if I think you’re guilty, it would be better for me to get you a deal instead of a conviction and a long prison term. And believe me, an insanity plea is one of the best. You spend some time in a hospital, then I petition the court to let you out because you’re cured. You could spend significantly less time locked up.

“The only way I wouldn’t advise my client to take that deal is if I don’t believe he’s guilty.”

He nodded and she went on with the trial prep.

 

The first day of the trial was spent selecting the jury. It wasn’t an easy task. Connors kept approving people who didn’t trust Supergirl, but Marni denied them and selected those who did, which Connors refused.

In the seats, Kara fumed beside Sam and whispered, “Why is this about Supergirl? It should be about Winn.”

“Like it or not, Supergirl is his friend. It’s going to be a part of the trial.”

That almost brought Kara to tears. She hated being part of what might put her best friend in prison.

It took four days to select the jury. By then it was late Thursday afternoon and the judge adjourned until Monday morning.

But on Monday, Marni called Sam to tell her the trial wouldn’t start that day.

“Why not?” Sam asked.

Marni hesitated, then said, “Don’t get upset, but Winn got beat up in jail.”

“What…when…is he alright? I need to see him!” She was upset.

“He’s fine, at least that’s what they said.”

“When did it happen?”

“Sunday afternoon.”

“Yesterday? When did you find out?”

“This morning when the court clerk called me.”

“I went to see him early yesterday. I wanted to rest before the trial started.” She stopped. “Oh, god, if I’d gone in the afternoon, maybe it wouldn’t have happened!”

“No way to know that. Don’t even be thinking that.”

“But why weren’t we notified?”

“That’s a question I’ll be asking, believe me. I’ll try to use it for leverage.”

“I need to see him.”

“He’s in the hospital ward. They won’t let you in there.”

“The hospital?”

“They’re checking him out, that’s all, but he’ll in court tomorrow.”

“Marni—“

“Honey, you can’t get upset about this. If he was seriously injured, we’d know. Please don’t worry.”

But of course she did. She called Kara. When she heard what happened, she said, “Give me an hour.”

She called back forty-five minutes later. “I went to the prison and looked inside. From what I could see, he was in bed, but sitting up. I think he’s okay.”

Silently thankful for a friend with x-ray vision, Sam told her, “Thank you so much!”

The next day, Sam and their friends were sitting in court when Winn was brought in. Sam couldn’t hold back the gasp when she saw his face. His lip was swollen, his right eye was half closed. There were bruises on his face as well and his arm was in a sling.

He heard her gasp and tried to smile at her with his swollen lip, but only managed a lopsided grin.

When he sat down, he turned to look at her.

Are you okay? She mouthed silently and he nodded.

Before they began their statements, Marni stood up and said to the judge, “Your honor, I would like to file a formal complaint on behalf of my client. As you can see, he was assaulted while in the state’s custody.”

“That does happen in jail, MS Gallo.” The judge said.

“Yes, your honor, I understand that. But he was being held because the District Attorney refused to allow bail.”

“The District Attorney recommended it, but I believe the judge at the arraignment agreed with him and disallowed bail.”

“Further, your honor, neither myself as his lawyer or his wife as next of kin were notified of the assault. I was told yesterday morning that the trial would be postponed.”

The judge looked at the DA. “Mr. Connors, why were they not notified?”

“I don’t know your honor. I wasn’t notified myself until yesterday morning.”

“Mr. Connors, you need to keep a closer eye on your system.”

“Yes, your honor.”

“MS Gallo, go ahead and file a complaint and I’ll sign it.”

“Thank you, your honor. I would like to also request, based on this assault, that Mr. Schott be released on bail to avoid any further injury.”

“I don’t think so. Judge Harper denied bail for a good reason. I’m not going against that.”

“But your honor…”

“I’ll make sure he is isolated from the other prisoners so that he’ll be safe, but he won’t be out on bail.”

She took an angry breath, but said, “Yes, your honor.”

In the seats, Kara was almost in tears. She whispered to Sam, “It’s because of Supergirl. That’s why he’s still in jail and why he got beat up.”

Sam put her hand on Kara’s arm. “He wouldn’t trade his friendship with Supergirl for anything. Please don’t worry.”

The trial began with Connors, the prosecutor, telling the jury that Winn had killed Dunholtz because he was angry at what the victim had done to his family.  He brought up Winn’s father’s crimes and tried to make it seem cut and dry, but Marni had warned Winn and Sam that he would do that and that it wasn’t and she would convince them otherwise.

When it was her turn, she addressed the jury: “Ladies and gentlemen, my client, Winslow Schott, Junior, endured a traumatic childhood that would have sent most people into a less than stellar life. However, Mr. Schott went the other way. He fought against the pain of his childhood and became an outstanding citizen who works for the government to help protect the city, the country, sometimes, even the planet. He found a woman to love, got married, and they are expecting a child.

“The DA would like you to believe that he would abandon all that he has attained for one moment of revenge. Why? Because his father did that? How many of you behave exactly as your parents did? Mr. Schott has spent most of life trying to be the opposite of his father. And then all of a sudden, that’s it? It makes no sense.

“You will also be presented evidence that is completely circumstantial. No murder weapon was found, no fingerprints or DNA to put my client at the murder scene. The only thing the state has to depend on is that his father did an act of vengeance and since he was angry, he did too.  Sorry, I don’t buy that and I think you’re too smart to buy it either. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sad. I think you guys don't like this story. No one is giving me any love! Just kidding, but I would love to her from my readers.


	7. Chapter 7

With opening statements completed, it was time for the prosecution to present their witnesses. Connors brought up the police detective who told them about the questioning, etc.

When Marni cross-examined him, she asked, “Detective Franklin, Mr. Dunholtz was killed on Sunday morning, correct?”

“Yes.”

“When did you bring my client in?”

“A few days later I think.”

“Wasn’t it actually Monday evening?”

“Maybe.”

“Detective, there are records. And you’re under oath.”

“Okay, it was Monday.”

“When was Mr. Dunholtz found?”

“Sunday.”

“What time?”

“In the afternoon.”

“Do you have the exact time?”

“Around three.”

She picked up a police report that had already been put in evidence. “The report says his wife found him at eight pm.”

“Okay eight.”

“Then on Monday evening at—“ she looked at the report, “—seven pm you went to Mr. Schott’s apartment.”

“Yeah.”

“Why did you bring in him in?”

“We found out that wanted revenge against Dunholtz.”

“How did you find that out?”

“It’s called police work, MS Gallo.” He said with a smirk.

“Really? It was police work? Can you elaborate? What did you do?”

“We looked into Schott’s background.”

“As soon as Dunholtz was found at eight pm?”

“The National City police is very efficient.”

“Why did you look into his background?”

“Because of the restraining order.”

“How did you find out about the restraining order?”

“It’s public record.”

“Yes, but how did you know to immediately search for a restraining order?”

“It came up on a search for Dunholtz.”

“What did the restraining order say?”

“That Dunholtz had taken it out against Schott because he felt threatened.”

“Did it say why?”

“Why what?”

“Why did he feel threatened?’

“Because Schott threatened him.”

“Did it say why Dunholtz was threatened?”

“Yeah, Schott wanted revenge for his family.”

“That was on the restraining order?”

“Yes.”

She went to the table and pulled out another paper. “This is people’s exhibit B, a copy of the restraining order. Would you please read what it says under reason?” She handed it to him.

He took the paper and read, “Reason: victim was threatened by aggressor.”

“Go on Detective.”

“That’s it.”

“Doesn’t it say why Dunholtz was threatened?”

“No.”

“So how did you find that out?”

“Someone must have told me.”

“Who?”

“I don’t remember.”

Connors interrupted. “Objection. Your honor, this is wasting the court’s time. Why does it matter how Detective Franklin found out?”

Marni turned to the judge. “Your honor, the case against my client is based on circumstantial evidence. Exploring the circumstances of that evidence is key.”

The judge nodded. “I’ll allow it. Objection overruled. But get to the point, MS Gallo.”

Marni picked up the police report. “Your report says ‘based on information received, suspect was believed to have motive.’ What information and from whom did you receive it?”

“I must have talked to someone.”

“Who?”

“I don’t remember.”

“That means your report is incomplete. Since you didn’t write it in the report and you don’t remember, how can the jury trust anything you say?”

“Because I’ve been a police officer for twenty years and I know how to do my job.”

Marni walked back to the table and picked up another paper sealed in plastic.

“I’d like to enter this as defendant’s exhibit A.” The Judge approved and she showed it to the detective.

“Have you seen this letter before Detective?”

He looked surprised and little flustered for a second before saying, “No.”

“Really, Detective? You’re going to tell me you never saw it before? And if I bring your assistant, Officer Monroe to this stand and he tells me that he took it from your desk and surrendered it to another officer, will your answer still be no?”

His eyes were hard. “He won’t say that.”

“Are you sure? And if that officer also swears under oath that Officer Monroe brought it from your office, from the official file, will your answer still be no?”

She could see the man hesitate and almost hear the unspoken ‘shit’.

“Yeah, I’ve seen it.”

Connors jumped up. “Objection! Your honor, the prosecution has not had a chance to see that letter. Why is the defense introducing it now?”

“Mr. Connors, the question you should be asking is why didn’t you see it if the police had it?”

The judge said, “Counselors, approach, please.”

When they got to the judge, he asked, “What is going on?”

“Your honor,” Connors said, “I did not see this evidence before today. Nor did I know of its existence.”

“Your honor,” Marni said, “I received this from the police and naturally assumed that Mr. Connors had seen it as well. If he didn’t see it, perhaps he needs to ask Detective Franklin.”

The judge stared at both of them, then said, “Mr. Connors, you need to refine your relationship with the police. If they are withholding evidence pertinent to this case, that is wrong. And MS Gallo, this information should have been shared with Mr. Connors before this. I don’t appreciate stunts in my courtroom.”

‘Yes. Your honor.” She said.

He sighed. “Mr. Connors, please take a moment to read the letter. Once you’re finished, MS Gallo can continue with her questioning.”

They both nodded and returned to their seats. Connors read the letter, then inclined his head and Marni returned to the witness stand.

“So Detective Franklin, can you please read the letter out loud for the court?”

He read, “Chester Donholtz tried to destroy Winn Schott’s family. Schott wanted revenge and threatened Dunholtz. Look at him for Dunholtz’s murder.”

“Please tell me when you received that letter?”

“Monday.”

“In the morning?”

“Yeah.”

“And how did it arrive?”

“Not sure.”

“Well, was it in an overnight envelope or a regular mail envelope?”

“Regular mail, I guess.”

“Just to confirm for the jury, does National City’s postal service work on Sunday?”

“No.”

“So in order for it to arrive on Monday morning, it would have to be mailed on Saturday at the latest.”

“I guess.”

“Who sent you the letter?”

“It wasn’t signed, so I don’t know.”

“I didn’t ask if you knew, I asked who you assumed?”

“A citizen providing a tip about a crime.”

“You get tips often?”

“Occasionally.”

“And do they usually arrive at the beginning of your investigation?”

“They can arrive at any time.”

“But in this case, the crime occurred on Sunday morning and the letter was probably mailed on Saturday.”

“Maybe they’re clairvoyant.” Franklin said with a smirk.

People in the court chuckled, but Marni jumped in before Franklin could get chummy with the jury.

“Very amusing, Detective, but wouldn’t it be true that it’s easy to be clairvoyant if you know something is going to happen?”

“I guess.”

“So I ask you again, who do you assume sent that letter?”

He shrugged. “Someone who knew that Schott would kill Dunholtz.”

“So this helpful citizen on Saturday night had a feeling that Dunholtz would be killed and instead of calling the police or Dunholtiz to warn him, they wrote a letter and mailed it. Doesn’t that sound a little odd?”

Connors jumped up. “Defense is asking Detective Franklin to assume that which he has no possible way of knowing.”

Marni didn’t wait for the judge. “I’ll rephrase. Detective, do you have any idea who sent the letter?”

“No.”

“Okay, but based on the contents, what is your belief as to the motive.”

“To let the police know something important.”

“So why do you believe this person mailed it the day before the crime?”

“I don’t know.”

“Detective, once you received the letter, you immediately considered my client, is that correct?”

“We took a good look at him. Found out about the restraining order.”

“Did you consider anyone else?”

“No one else had the motive or opportunity.”

“But did you look for anyone else?’

“I don’t know about you, but when I find an answer, I stop asking the question.”

“So your answer is no?”

“My answer is no.”

“So within twenty-four hours of discovering Mr. Dunholtz’s body, you were satisfied that you found the murderer and didn’t even consider any other options?”

“He had the motive and opportunity. No one else did.”

“How many others did you investigate to determine that?”

He hesitated. “None.”

“So there is a possibility that someone else had the motive or opportunity besides my client. You just never investigated that.”

Franklin stared at her with hatred, but didn’t say anything. However, Connors jumped up again.

“Your honor, the detective did his job and found the person most likely. It’s unfair for defense to browbeat him when he did his job.”

“That’s fine, counselor.” Marni said. “I’ll stop. No more questions.”

It didn’t matter. She’d put it out there. All she needed to do was introduce reasonable doubt to the jury.


	8. Chapter 8

The prosecution continued to bring witnesses that only barely proved their case and Marni found ways to bring them down. Still, it was a lot of people and Winn was worried. How would she be able to prove he hadn’t killed Dunholtz? And if she didn’t do that, what would happen to him and his family?

That afternoon, after court was done for the day, Sam was visiting Winn and talking to him about how the trial was progressing, but he was quiet.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He gave her a look that said ‘don’t you know?’

“Besides this.”

He sighed and leaned his head back. “Remember that day we rode the Staten Island Ferry?”

“I do.”

“That was a great day. The breeze off the water, the New York skyline, the Statue of Liberty.”

“It was a great day.”

“We should never have left New York.”

“You were miserable there.”

“No, I had you there.”

“You hated the job.”

“I could have found another job. At least we were together, not…this.”

“Oh, honey.”

He was silent for a minute. “You need to stop coming here.”

“What?”

“Stop visiting me in jail. Stop coming to the trial.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because this is too hard. Seeing you on the other side of the glass, not being able to touch you. And if I get convicted—“

“You won’t!”

“You don’t know that. If I get convicted, I don’t want you coming to the prison or bring our kid there to see daddy.”

“Winn—“

“No, that’s a suckass way for a kid to grow up. In fact, we should get a divorce and you forget about me.”

“Winn, stop it! I’m going to continue visiting you here and in prison if I have to.”

“What if I won’t see you?”

“I’ll still come. If our child and I have to sit in the waiting area for an hour hoping you’ll see us, then we will. And I will not divorce you.”

“I just don’t want to cause you any more pain.”

“The worst pain would be not having you in my life at all.”

 

That evening, Sam was with the other women, working on Winn’s defense when she started to feel uncomfortable. She went to the bathroom and the others heard her cry out. They all ran to the door, asking what was wrong.

“There’s blood! I went to pee and there’s blood on my panties!”

They got her phone and called her doctor who told them to bring her to the emergency room.

 

The next morning, Marni knocked on the door of the judge’s chambers before the trial started for the day.

“Your honor,” she said when he let her in, “Could I please have few minutes with my client before he gets to the courtroom?”

“May I ask why?”

“His wife is in the hospital. A problem with her pregnancy and they’re running some tests. I need to tell him. And if he comes in and she’d not there, he’s going to be upset. I don’t want anything to disrupt the court.”

The judge nodded. “Fine, I’ll instruct the guard to bring him to the conference room.”

“Thank you, your honor.”

Winn was confused when he was brought to the conference room instead of the courtroom. Marni was waiting there.

“What’s up?” he asked her.

“Please don’t worry, but I need to tell you, Sam won’t be in the courtroom today.”

He felt a sense of dread. “What happened?”

“It’s perfectly normal, nothing to worry about.”

“You realize that when you start a conversation with ‘don’t worry’, the other person immediately starts to worry. What happened?”

“She was spotting last night.”

“Spotting?”

“Some drops of blood from—“

“Oh god, the baby?”

“Is fine. We took her to the ER, they did an ultrasound and the baby is fine. But Sam’s blood pressure is up a little, so they kept her there to do some tests.”

“Tests? What kind of tests?”

“Routine tests. They’ll probably let her out later today.”

“Is she alone?”

“No, Kara is there with her.”

He nodded and closed his eyes. “This is my fault. She’s stressed out because of all this.”

“It’s not your fault. And this is normal. I spotted when I was pregnant and you know how healthy my son is.”

The guard interrupted. “The judge is ready to start.”

They left the conference room and the trial began.

They’d been back from lunch for about forty-five minutes when Kara came in, went quietly to the defense table and handed Marni a note. She looked at it and waited a few minutes for a break in the action and said, “Excuse me, your honor, may I approach?”

The judge nodded and she and Connors went to the judge.

“Could I please get a five minute recess?”

“Why?”

“Remember this morning when I told you about my client’s wife? She’s here, but hasn’t come in because he’ll want to know that she’s okay. We don’t want to disrupt the court.”

“This is highly unusual, MS Gallo.”

“I know, your honor. But he’s extremely worried about his wife, since he hasn’t been able to be with her during her pregnancy. This is their first child.”

Connors spoke up. “Maybe he should have thought about that before he killed someone.”

She glared at him. “Alleged.” To the judge, “Your honor, do you have children?”

The judge thought for a second, then sighed and said, “Fine.”

“Thank you, your honor.”

They returned to their seats and the judge said, “Fifteen minute recess.”

She smiled briefly, but Winn was confused. “What’s happening?”

“It’s all good.”

The guard led him out and into the conference room. A minute later, Marni and Sam entered.

When he saw his wife, he almost cried. “Sam, are you okay?”

She went to him immediately and said, “I’m, fine. I’m fine!” She put her hands on either side of his face. “I’m fine.”

“What did they say at the hospital?”

“Everything is okay, my blood pressure is just a little high. I just have to watch my diet and stress.”

“Stress. That would be my fault.”

“No. Well, except yesterday when you told me to stop visiting you. Not seeing you would definitely cause stress, but otherwise, no.”

He put his arms around her and held her tight. “I miss you so much.”

“Me too. But we’ll get through this and you’ll come home. For now, just hold me.”

He did and they stood there silently, just holding each other until the guard said, “Time is up.”

She kissed him long and hard and the guard took him through the door to the courtroom and Sam went out the other door and in to the courtroom and sat down.


	9. Chapter 9

“How can we prove that Jillian did this?” Kara asked.

“There’s probably a way to see if she accessed his file. How else would she know what Dunholtz did?” Marni added.

“I’m sure there’s a way, but I think only Winn would know how.” Sam told them.

So the next day, when Marni and Sam visited Winn, they laid it out.

“We believe someone is framing you.” Marni told him.

“No shit.”

“We think it’s Jillian.” Sam said.

“Okay, she’s enough of a bitch.”

“But we need proof. First, we need to make sure it’s her. We need to see if she accessed your file.”

“Okay, easy enough.”

“For you.” Sam said. “I’m not as skilled as you—yet. So I need you tell me exactly what to do.”

Marni took out her recorder that was allowed as part of her defense. Winn started talking, telling Sam exactly what to do, even noting alternate things in case something went wrong.

Despite the recording, she listened intently, took notes and asked him questions.

“Okay, wish me luck!” she said.

“You can do it. You have to.”

That evening, she sat down at the computer and got started. She shooed Marni away. “I don’t like someone hanging over my shoulder. I’ll let you know when I have something.”

It took longer for her than it would have for Winn, but eventually she got it.

She called out to everyone else, “I found it.”

It showed that Jillian had accessed Winn’s Social Services file around three months prior. She saved it, but said, “Okay, this shows she found the information, but it doesn’t prove she did it.”

“And I’ll bet she has an alibi for the murder.” Alex said.

Marni thought. “She was running a private security business out of the DEO, wasn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“What if someone were to hire her?”

“And ask her to eliminate someone.”

“Good idea. But she knows all of us. So who can hire her?” Marni asked.

“I know who can do it.” Kara said with a smile.

 

“Thank you for meeting with me.”

Jillian looked at the woman across the table from her, “Well, when the head of L Corp asks for a meeting, how could I refuse?”

Lena Luther smiled briefly, then said, “A friend recommended you. I was told that you can be discreet.”

“I can. But you are a rich and powerful woman. I’m curious as to why you need my help.”

“There are some things I prefer not to be connected to me or my company.”

“Hmm, but you have been known to help the DEO. Aren’t you for truth and justice and all that Supergirl crap?”

“It’s important to show yourself to be an upstanding citizen. Especially as the Luther name has already had enough bad press. Besides, I don’t want to see the planet destroyed. This world is very important to me.”

Jillian nodded. “So most people hire me for my tech skills, but I believe you have almost the same skills. What can I do that you can’t?”

“You can be discreet. I need a situation taken care of and I need to be sure I’m not connected to it. I need to continue to be seen as an upstanding citizen.”

“I understand. What is the situation?”

“There is a Catco reporter that’s getting a little too close to finding out some things that I don’t want her to find out.”

“Are we talking elimination?”

“I’m afraid so. She knows a little too much.”

“Her name?”

“Kara Danvers.”

“I thought you two were friends?”

“Haven’t you ever heard keep your friends close and your enemies closer? The first time she did an article about me, I could tell she was smart—too smart. The questions she asked were very astute. So I cultivated a friendship to try to keep her off balance. But she’s beginning to catch on and I’m afraid of what she may uncover.”

“Okay, well, it can be done. I have people. But it won’t be cheap.”

“Money is not a problem.”

“Okay, then. Is there a time you want it done?”

“As soon as possible.”

“Fine. Once it’s done, I’ll give you my bill.”


	10. Chapter 10

The next evening, Kara was in her bed with the covers up to the top of her head when she heard the apartment door open. A human would not have heard it, only an alien with super hearing would.

The intruder was virtually soundless and approached her bed. Three silent shots hit the bed, then bounced off. The lights came on, revealing Alex and Maggie with guns trained on the assassin, who looked shocked at their presence. The man looked at the bed and saw Supergirl sitting up.

“Shit.” He said. “This was a setup.”

“You’re smarter than you look.” Alex said.

“Drop your weapon and put your hands up.” Maggie said.

He thought for a second, then glanced at their weapons, sighed and dropped his. Maggie kicked it out of his reach.

“What’s your name?” she asked him.

He didn’t answer and a search of his pockets showed no ID. Maggie slapped handcuffs on him and read him his rights. She called for backup and she and Alex led him out of the apartment.

An hour later, Maggie went to the interrogation room to question the assassin.

“Okay buster, I know you don’t want to talk, but we’ll figure out who you are. And you were witnessed attempting to kill someone. And guess what? We just got the ballistics report on your gun and it was used to murder Chester Dunholtz. I bet if we run it against some unsolved murders, it’s gonna match. So you’re in deep shit right now.”

He looked at her but didn’t say anything.

“Look, I get that you were hired. But you’re going down for these. If it turns out to be as many as I suspect, you’re gonna be behind bars for a long, long time. The DA might even recommend the death penalty.

“So you rot in prison or die for this, but whoever hired you gets off scot free? Doesn’t seem fair, does it?”

She could see he was thinking hard about it. Finally he spoke. “It was West. Steven West. He hired me.”

He gave her West’s location and within minutes he was brought into the police station. It didn’t take long for him to rat out Jillian May and since Maggie had already stationed cops at her house, she was arrested as well.

She tried to deny it, to deny any knowledge of the crime, but Maggie had enough to hold her.

Outside the interrogation room, DA Connors watched the questioning of all three involved. Maggie came out and said to him, “Well, what do you think?”

“I think I have some paperwork to do to drop charges on someone.” He walked away and Maggie went to her office where Marni was waiting. The big smile on her face told the lawyer all she needed to know.

 

 “So what happened?” Sam asked Marni who was on speaker through the phone.

“They’re charging Jillian. West and the killer cut deals for testifying against her.”

“What about Winn?”

“They’re processing the paperwork now.”

“When will he be released?”

“As soon as the paperwork’s done.”

“When will that be?”

“Honey, relax. I’m working on it. He’ll be home soon.”

“Soon isn’t good enough. He spent enough time in jail for something he didn’t do.’

“I know. Don’t worry, I’ll bring him home.”

As they waited, Sam said to Kara, “Please thank your friend Lena for helping. We could never have done it without her.”

“She was happy to. She knows Winn, she’s worked with him. All she asked is if we could include her on our Sunday brunches.”

“Of course!”

Everyone waited with Sam for another hour, then they went home. She was exhausted, but she couldn’t go to bed. She sat on the sofa and found herself dozing off. She woke suddenly when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and he was there. Her Winn.

“Winn!” She threw herself into his arms and he held her tight. They stayed that way for a long time, before letting go and looking at each other.

“Are you alright?” she asked him.

“Yeah, I am now.” He put his hand on her belly. “Missed too many months of this one growing.”

“You’ll be here for the birth, that’s all that matters.”

He took a deep breath. “I don’t know how to thank you and the others for figuring this out, finding the murderer and getting me released. I really thought I was going to be sent to prison.”

She shook her head. “No. That wasn’t going to happen. I never stopped believing.”

“I know. And I really love you for it.”

She smiled, but he could see how tired she was.

“Come on, let’s go to sleep. We’re both exhausted. And I really want to sleep in my own bed with you beside me.”

She nodded and they went to the bedroom. She got into bed, but he said, “I’m gonna take a shower. I need to wash the jail off.”

“Okay. I’ll be here.”

After a nice long shower—the kind he could never get in the jail—when he returned to the bedroom, she was asleep. He kissed her on the cheek and slipped into the bed beside her, pulling her close to him.

Only to be roused a few minutes later by a punch in the gut.

“What the hell?”

“What…what’s wrong?”

“You just punched me in the stomach!”

“No dear, that wasn’t me. That was your child.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Oh no, Little Schott is very active. Especially at night. I’ve been learning how to sleep through most of it.”

He put his hand on her belly and waited. Sure enough, there was another kick.

“That’s amazing!”

“That’s your kid.”

He pulled her even closer. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been here with you through all this.”

“Not your fault. No need to beat yourself up over it.”

They both fell asleep, holding tight to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry it took so long to update. It's been a crazy week! There is a little more to go in this story, but at least Winn is out of jail and home with his wife.
> 
> Thanks to all who have left kudos. Would love to get some comments from you guys as well!


	11. Chapter 11

Two days later, Winn was back at work. J’onn told him to take as much time as he needed, but he wanted things back to normal as soon as possible. Besides, although J’onn had held his job, he hadn’t been paid while he was in jail. And Sam had taken a leave as well to attend the trial, so money was an issue—something they didn’t want to share with their friends.

But they needed all the baby things. And a place to put the child. Their original plan had been to move to a larger apartment or maybe buy a house. But he’d been arrested before they could do that and now there was no money for it.

Marni got an inkling of it when Winn called her to ask about the bill for her services as his lawyer. She tried to push it off, but he insisted.

“You got me out of a murder charge and I’m sure your law firm expects to be paid. And I intend to pay. Just, could you set up some kind of monthly payment plan? I don’t know how much lawyers charge, but I know it has to do with billable hours and crap.”

“Winn, I’m the new golden child at my firm for not only getting you off, but finding the real killer. And in reality, I can’t take credit for that because it was your wife and your other friends who did most of that work. Still, I don’t mind reaping the benefits. I know I can negotiate a big discount for you based on that. And as for the rest, well, let’s consider it a christening gift for my soon-to-be-born godchild.”

He tried to protest, but eventually she convinced him (she was a good lawyer after all) and he accepted it.  She could hear the relief he expressed.

After that call, she contacted the other women and Winn’s mother and they made immediate plans for a baby shower. This was not one of those cutesy, bring what you want showers. This was a real need shower for this couple.

Marni went through the baby things she had that her son had outgrown and put aside whatever Sam would be able to use. Then they planned to get them the rest of the things they needed.

On the next brunch day, Kara picked Sam up and said they were picking up Marni. But when they got to Marni’s, the other ladies were there, and they had a good time ‘showering’ the expectant mom.

Sam was truly grateful that her friends and mother-in-law had come through with all the things they needed. Even though they had to cram them into a small apartment, at least the baby would have everything.

As much as Winn wanted things to get back to normal, it wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be. He found himself having nightmares about his experiences.

He would wake up, sweating and anxious, yet tried to stay quiet, so he would not disturb Sam. She’d been through enough during this pregnancy. He didn’t want her to worry about him anymore.

On top of the nightmares, he would also worry about where they would find the money to take care of their child. The shower helped with the supplies they needed, but they were still stuck in their small apartment.

There were also other anxieties about becoming a father.

All of this caused a lot of stress that he did not share with his wife. She’d already had high blood pressure due to stress and as she was getting closer to her due date, he didn’t want to do anything that would harm her or their child.

He kept his anxieties hidden from his friends as well as his wife. But there was one person in his acquaintance that he couldn’t hit them from.

It happened when he slipped up on something at work. He quickly corrected it and no one really noticed. Or so he thought.

“Mr. Schott.” J’onn said sternly. “Follow me.”

Too late Winn remembered that J’onn was telepathic. He followed the director to a conference room, worrying that he was going to get fired. That was the last thing he needed.

He hedged, “Is there something wrong, sir?”

“You tell me. You’ve been tired and making mistakes for the last few weeks, ever since you returned to work. I’ve been giving you some time to adjust, considering what you’ve been through, but this can’t continue.”

“I’m fine, sir. Just, as you said, trying to adjust back to work. I’ll be okay.”

J’onn stared at him and sighed. “Have you forgotten that I know you’re not.”

Winn stiffened. “What do you know?”

“I know that you are dealing with a great deal of stress and that you are keeping it from your wife and your friends. I’ve tried to keep out of your head and not intrude on your secrets, but you are making it harder and harder for me not to.”

He looked at the floor. “My wife doesn’t need to worry about anything right now. She’s had a hard enough time during this pregnancy, thanks to me.”

“Mister…Winn. Even though it’s been three hundred years since I’ve had a wife, I remember one important thing about marriage. Honesty is key. You cannot keep secrets from your wife. Especially secrets that are causing you pain. She will know you are in pain and will assume it’s her fault. And it won’t get any easier once your child is born. As much of a joy as children are, they also are a great responsibility and require their parents’ full attention. You cannot begin parenthood holding on to this stress.

“And although I dislike saying this to you, if you continue to allow this problem to affect your work here, I will have to do something about it.”

“Sir…”

“That won’t be my choice. I can’t risk the lives of the agents who depend on your work to be accurate.”

“Yes, sir, I understand. I wouldn’t want to risk them either.”

“I know you wouldn’t. Winn, speak to your wife. Speak to your friends. Especially Supergirl. I know that she is in pain over you.”

“In pain? Why?”

“You’ve been closed off from her. She thinks you blame her for having to remain in jail all those months.”

“What! No, of course I don’t. I just don’t want to cause her or Sam or anyone else any more stress over me.”

“They are stressed over you. They care about you. A lot of people do.”

Winn saw the concern in the Martian’s eyes and nodded. “I’ll talk to them.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was deliberately vague about what is causing WInn's nightmares, but you will find out about them in the next chapter. It will get a little intense and raw. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter gets very raw. There is strong language and adult themes in this one. Be prepared.

That evening Sam and Winn were eating dinner but he was extremely quiet.

“Is it alright?” she asked him.

“What?”

“The food. Is it alright?”

“Oh, yeah, it’s fine.”

“Beth gave me the recipe. I’m trying to learn to cook. You can’t do takeout or microwave food all the time with a kid.” She didn’t add that it cost a lot to do takeout and she was a little concerned about their finances.

He nodded and continued to just pick at his food.

“I know it’s not great, but I’ll get better. You don’t have to eat it if you don’t like it. I can make you a sandwich.”

He looked up at her. “No, no, the food is fine. Really, it’s—it’s good.”

“Okay, so if it isn’t the food, what is bothering you?”

He sighed. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“Is it about our money? Or lack of it?”

“No. Well, that’s part of it, but just a small part.”

“Because I know that something has been bothering you. I know that you aren’t sleeping. So, if it’s about the money, well, we can handle it. We’ll stretch our pennies for a while and eventually, we’ll be back on our feet.”

“You know I’m not sleeping?”

“Winn, I share a bed with you. I hear you when you get up. I know that it’s almost every night.”

He stood up, walked to the window and looked out. “I haven’t been sleeping, but not because of worrying about money. It’s because of nightmares.”

“Nightmares? What about?”

“About prison. My dad. Lots of things.”

She went to him and put her arms around him. “Oh, honey, you should have told me.”

“I’ve put you through enough with being in jail. I don’t want to hurt you anymore.”

She put her hands on either side of his face. “You didn’t do anything. You were framed for a crime you didn’t commit.”

“If I hadn’t threatened Dunholtz…”

“Jillian would have found another way. She was determined to frame you one way or another.”

“But I made it worse.”

“No, you made it a little easier. But none of it was your fault. Actually, it was more my fault. Because I got her fired, she wanted revenge and took it out on you.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Well, it’s not yours either. Unless you count bringing me to National City. If I hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have exposed her scam. So that’s your fault. But then again, you were so adorable, I had to fall in love with you, so that is your fault.”

He smiled briefly.  She continued. “Or you could blame your friend James for dying. If that hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t have come to New York and we never would have met.”

“Well, that’s silly. We can’t blame James.”

“Right, we can’t. So we can’t blame anyone. Sometimes things just happen. And everything we do is like a pebble thrown in a lake. The ripples touch and cause something else. You don’t have control over them. You just have to accept and continue on.”

He put his forehead on hers. “I love you.”

“Back at you, babe. Now, let’s sit down and you tell me what’s bothering you.”

They sat and he started to tell her about the nightmares.

“Sometimes the guards come in and they’re taunting me. They say ‘you’re never getting out of here! You’re never going home.’ Then they laugh at me over and over again. And I start to forget that I was freed and I believe that I’m never leaving prison.”

“Oh, honey!”

“Then there’s the ones about the time I got beat up.”

“You never told me what happened then. I figured I would wait until you were ready to tell me.”

“Yeah. Well, I guess I should tell you now. These guys had been bothering me for a while. I mostly tried to stay as far away as I could and to ignore them as much as I could. I guess that night I was pretty stressed, with the trial starting.

“They kept talking about Kara. ‘We hear you’re a friend of Supergirl. How close a friend are you?’ ‘Oh, I bet he’s fucking her. What does Supergirl do when she comes?’ ‘How does your wife feel about it? Or does she watch or better yet, join in?’

“All of that was annoying enough, but that night they took it one step further.  I guess they could tell it was really bothering me. One of them said, ‘Why don’t you show us what you do with Supergirl?’

“I tried to ignore them, but one of them grabbed me and I panicked and tried to hit him. I didn’t get much of a punch in before the others were on me. They beat me pretty bad before the guard came and broke it up.

“The next I remember, I was in the prison infirmary. I wasn’t hurt too bad, but I still felt like shit.”

“I know. I had Kara check in on you.”

“Check in? Oh, right, the x-ray vision. Comes in handy, doesn’t it?”

“It does.”

“Well, in my nightmares, they finish what they started.”

“Do you mean…?”

“Well, there are two versions. In one, they do whatever they intended to do when the guy grabbed me. In the other, they kill me. Neither version makes for a pleasant dream.”

Sam put her arms around him and just held on. “You’re with me now and that won’t happen. Either version.”

“I know. Okay, there’s one more and in some ways, this is the most frightening. In this one, my dad is there. He tells me that I’m just as insane as he is and that it will show sooner or later. That just because I didn’t actually kill Dunholtz doesn’t mean I didn’t want to or that I won’t kill someone else. He tells me that I should be scared to have a child. I’ve probably passed on the crazy gene. Or I’ll just hurt my kid worse than he hurt me.

“That’s the worst one because it might be true.” His voice cracked on those last words.

She tried to hold back the tears in her eyes. “Winn, I don’t believe any of that is true. But the thing is, you think so. And that’s serious. You need to talk to someone about this.”

“I’m talking you now.”

“No, I mean a professional. You’ve been holding a lot of pain inside about your father, your mother, all of it. You need to get help dealing with it.”

He looked at her skeptically. “I don’t know. Do you think that would really help me?”

“Look at it this way, it couldn’t hurt. And talking to a stranger who won’t get emotional about you might be a really good thing.”

He inclined his head. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

“Good. In the meantime, here’s what I want you to do: every time you have a nightmare, you wake me up and I will hold on to you until you fall back to sleep.”

“I don’t want to disturb your sleep. You need…”

“I need to know that you’re okay. And don’t you think I wake up whenever you get out of bed? I’d sleep better knowing you were sleeping as well.”

“Okay.”

“And the other thing you need to do is talk to Kara. She thinks you blame her for staying in jail. She’s hurting, but is ashamed to say anything to you about it.”

“Oh, god, I don’t want that. I’ll talk to her tomorrow.”

The next day at work, when he saw Kara, he said to her, “Kara, can I talk to you?”

She looked at him solemnly and nodded.

They went to a private place and he looked at the floor for a few moments before saying , “I’m sorry.’

“You’re sorry? Winn, I’m the one who’s sorry! It’s my fault that you had to stay in jail!”

“No…”

“If it wasn’t for me, they would have let you out on bail. I know you probably resent me for that because you have barely said ten words to me since you got out.”

“No, no, Kara, it isn’t you. I didn’t talk to anyone. I…I’ve been going through some stuff. But I don’t resent you. It wasn’t your fault. And I don’t care how long I had to stay in jail. Your friendship means more to me than all of that.”

“Oh, Winn!” She pulled him into a hug. Tears were pooling in both of their eyes.

“You’re my best friend, Kara. I wouldn’t give you up, no matter what.”

“I feel the same way!”

They smiled, happy to be in sync again.

“Oh, and by the way,” she told him, “I wouldn’t have broken you out of jail while you were accused.”

“Good to know.”

“But if you’d been convicted, you and Sam would be living on a tropical island somewhere. Or one of the other earths.”

He laughed and put his arm around her shoulder. “Thanks. I don’t think I’ve laughed like that in a long time.

He also decided to follow Sam’s advice and found a therapist to talk to. Between that and doing as Sam asked, his night mares started to lessen over the next few weeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're in the home stretch on this story. Probably two more chapters left. Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

“Mr. Schott, isn’t your child due soon?” J’onn asked Winn.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then you don’t need to be here.”

Yes I do, he thought. He’d used up all vacation and leave time while he was in jail and he needed the money.

“It’s fine.” He told his boss. “I have my cell right here. As soon as she calls me, I’m out of here.”

“If you’re sure.”

“No problem, sir.”

But of course, where the DEO was concerned, there was always a problem.

The baby was due at any time and Sam was already on maternity leave waiting for her child’s arrival. She knew that Winn would come as soon as she called him, so she wasn’t worried.

When she realized she was in labor, she called him. And got no answer. So she texted him and waited a few minutes. No response.

She called Kara and Alex, and also texted both of them. Still no response. She knew that sometimes situations arose at the DEO, and as her contractions were more than ten minutes apart, she decided to wait a bit.

When the next one came, she tried Marni, but got her voice mail. She remembered that she had a new trial starting and she turned off her phone when she was in court.

She thought about who else she could call. Lena? It seemed awkward to ask a woman she’d only met a few times and who was a busy executive to take her to the hospital.

When another pain hit, she knew she had to handle this herself. She used the UBER app and put in the address of the hospital. When it told her five minutes, she grabbed her pre-packed bag and her purse and went outside to wait for the car.

While en route to the hospital, she tried Winn and Kara again, then thought of one more person.

Mon-El was bored at the bar and so was ready when his phone rang, but was surprised to see Sam calling him.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked her.

“I’m on my way to the hospital to have the baby and I can’t reach anyone at the DEO, especially my husband.”

“I talked to Kara about an hour ago. There was a situation they were about to address.”

“That’s what I figured. But they’re probably not going to let me use my phone once I’m in the labor room, so could you continue trying to reach Winn?”

“Wait, how are you getting there?”

“UBER.”

“Is anyone with you?”

“No. But as long as Winn makes it before the baby’s born, it’ll be okay. So, can you keep calling him?”

“Sure.”

She got to the hospital and got herself admitted and within twenty minutes, she was in a bed in the maternity ward and the doctor was examining her.

“You’re not ready yet, but it shouldn’t be long.”

The doctor had just finished, when there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” she called, hoping it was Winn.

It wasn’t, but she was too shocked to be disappointed.

“Mon-El? What are you doing here?”

“I didn’t think you should be alone. On D…my home, it wasn’t quite like this, but from what Kara’s told me, here guys are with the woman when a baby comes. I thought I could stay with you until Winn gets here.”

She was touched. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

At the DEO, the situation was an escaped rogue alien who was creating havoc that involved everyone in the control center. Winn had to go to the main power hub to fix a computer problem and left his phone on his console.

When he finally finished and returned, he picked up his phone and saw the missed calls and texts and said, “Shit!”

At the same time, Alex and Kara looked at their phones and said, “Winn—”

“I know! She’s in labor! Shit, I have to get to the hospital! And traffic’s gonna suck at this time of day!”

Kara said, “How about if I give you a lift?”

“A lift…oh, yeah! That’d be great!”

With Kara’s aerial aid, he was at the hospital in less than ten minutes. They landed on the roof and as he headed for the door, Kara called out, “We’ll bring your car.”

He tossed her his keys, smiled and said, “Thanks!”

When he reached the maternity floor, he asked a nurse at the desk for Sam’s room and was directed there. He knocked on the door and it was opened by of all people Mon-El.

“Hey, Winn!” he said to Winn.

“What are you doing here?” Winn asked.

“I was the only one she could get in touch with. I didn’t think she should be alone.”

Winn was amazed, “Hey, man, thanks. I really…this is great.”

Mon-El smiled. “No problem. Go ahead in there. I think she was trying to hold back until you got here.”

Winn nodded and entered the room. He could see the relief on Sam’s face when she saw him.

“You’re here!”

“I’m so sorry, baby, we had a crisis and I left my phone…”

“It’s okay, you’re here now.”

“It’s not okay. I let you down. Again.”

Before she could answer, the nurse came in. “Hello. Is this the dad?”

“Yes, this is my husband.” Sam told her.

“Okay, good, because you’re really close. Dad, let’s get a gown on you.”

It didn’t take long after that for labor to commence in full. It was arduous and Winn couldn’t understand how women could ever want to give birth once, let alone those who had more than one child.

Finally, it was over and Winn and Sam were looking at a little girl with a head full of dark hair.

“We never made a decision on a name.” he said. “I think we have to figure it out now.”

“I’ve actually been thinking about it a lot. I want something that is meaningful to us, so I thought about how we got together and…well, if you friend hadn’t, you know…”

“Died.” Winn said flatly.

“Yeah, well, I thought it might be cool if we called her Jaime, you know, a female version of James.”

He smiled. “That’s absolutely perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more short chapter after this and we're finished with this one.
> 
> To those who asked, yes, I saw the crossover episodes. Yes, I loved them. And yes, Jeremy was frigging hot with the beard and being a badass. I am totally obsessed with that character. In fact I am working on a short story for after this one is done using General Schott.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for this one!

Their first visitor was Miriam Schott, who held the baby and cooed at her. “I can’t believe I have a granddaughter. I never thought I’d ever see you again, let alone hold my grandchild.”

She reluctantly handed the baby over to the other visitors, but reclaimed her every time one of them looked uncomfortable with the infant.

Surprisingly, J’onn was able to hold the baby quite expertly. With a stoic expression, he said, “It’s not something you ever forget.”

Everyone had to blink back a tear as they remembered his lost family.

When they left the hospital, Winn’s mother offered to stay for a few days to help and Sam gratefully accepted. As she helped instruct Sam in the baby’s care, she recounted stories of Winn as a baby which amused Sam. But it was a little bittersweet for Winn. He should have heard these stories a long time before, but they had missed so many years.

Happily, he had his mother now and as he looked around at his wife and his friends, he realized he was luckier than most people.

And when he looked at his new daughter, he felt like the luckiest man alive.

After his mother went home and they were alone with the baby, they lay in bed with Jaime between them.

“I know she needs to be in her bassinet, but I want to just watch her sleep a little longer.” Sam said.

“She is pretty adorable when she’s asleep. Of course, she’s adorable when she’s awake too.”

“I can tell she already has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger.”

“That is true.” He touched her soft cheek. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For her. For being you. For standing behind me, believing in me and making us a family.”

“Right back at you. Babe.”

He held her and the baby close and thought life was pretty damn good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short. I just wanted to wrap this one up nicely. There will be another story coming. I am in the process of writing one featuring General Schott, but which includes this universe that I've created with Sam and Winn. I haven't decided on a title yet, so if you're interested, put me on alert. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for keeping Winn in jail. I guess I have been watching too many You Tube videos of Jeremy Jordan in Bonnie and Clyde and Parade! If you haven't seen them, I highly advise you to check them out.
> 
> I also want to address the idea of Supergirl helping him escape. As much as I enjoy superhero movies and TV shows, I don't think I'd want them in real life. I don't believe that anyone with that much power wouldn't use it for their own benefit. Kara has done it in the show, usually to help people. but what's to stop them from eventually saying, the heck with this, I'm going to make my life better. Anyone agree or disagree? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!


End file.
